San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy has said in the past he thought Posey, the 2012 National League MVP, would make a good third baseman. And on Sunday he gave another clue to his thinking about Posey's future.

Bochy was discussing young backstop Hector Sanchez, who has caught 94 games for the Giants over the last three seasons.

“This guy’s got a chance to be a starting catcher with us,” Bochy said, according to SFGate.com. “The fact that he’s a switch-hitter, he’s a pretty good asset to have. He’s got the potential to be a guy who hits fifth or sixth. He’s balanced on both sides. Sometimes we forget he’s only 23.”

If Sanchez becomes the starting catcher, Posey would have to play elsewhere. The two-time All-Star is under contract to the Giants through the end of the 2021 season, so he obviously is in their long-term plans regardless of position.

If he moves to third, the Giants would likely part with 2012 World Series MVP Pablo Sandoval, who is under contract through next season. Or Posey could move to first base, which would force the team to make a decision about 25-year-old Brandon Belt.

The question of Posey's future came to the forefront again when he missed four recent games with a swollen right ring finger caused by a Madison Bumgarner pitch that bounced off the plate. Given his offensive value, the Giants would like to see him playing a less physically demanding position.

Don't expect a change to be made for 2014, though.

“In a perfect world, we’re back to where we were in 2012 — he (Sanchez) is doing a good job as a backup, Buster plays a few games at first," Bochy said. "As far as how we put the rest of the squad together, it won’t change anything."